Incredible Appreciation Forecast For The Seattle Market - An article published on real estate agent .Org has forecast 40% growth for the Seattle housing market over the next two years.

Fair Housing Study Blasts Realty Agents for Alleged "Steering" and Racial Discrimination
A new study by the National Fair Housing Alliance reports "disturbing practices by some real estate agents" including steering of home buyers to neighborhoods based on racial factors, plus unequal treatment of minority clients compared with whites. The study is based on "paired testing" at 73 realty firm offices in 12 metropolitan areas. FULL STORY->

Longer Ownership Raises Home Value, Risk Of Devaluation
Home values continue to rise in all of the nation's largest metros, albeit slower, but so does the risk that values could come tumbling down. FULL STORY->

Property Sales Tax Breaks
Real estate prices are being driven up by the purchase of second homes, which account for as much as 40 percent of the market. FULL STORY->

Housing Counsel: Predatory Lending - A Hot Topic
Predatory lending is back in the news. A new law is redefining what "discriminatory lending practices" mean. FULL STORY->

Strong Economic Growth Keeps Upward Pressure on Mortgage Rates
Freddie Mac today released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) in which the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 6.43 percent, with an average 0.6 point, for the week ending April 6, 2006, up from last week's average of 6.35 percent. Last year at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 5.93 percent. FULL STORY->

'Great' Investment Ideas Sometimes Illegal
Novice investors beware. You need to be careful that you are not violating a local law or even fair housing in your new pursuits. FULL STORY->

In Boise, Idaho New Gold Is Real Estate
Idaho is no small potatoes when it comes to hot real estate markets. Boise, the state capital, tops the list, but Coeur d'Alene in the north and the state's southeast corner are also markets to watch. FULL STORY->

Ask Realty Times
Must I tell buyers about the ghosts I see? How can I dump unprofitable investment homes? Should I enter into a lease-purchase agreement? Peter G. Miller looks at the week's most interesting questions for Realty Times. FULL STORY->

Best First Quarter Ever
Ten per cent more resale home transactions took place during the month of March than during the same month a year ago, Toronto Real Estate Board President John Meehan announced today. The March total of 8,707 sales was the second highest 19,831 sales, a record first quarter result. FULL STORY->

Soft Landing for Prices in Eastern Canada
Homes sales continue at a near-record pace in Canada, but two very different economic stories are emerging, according to reports from two major banks. In the east, price gains are slowing to create a sustainable market, but in Vancouver, trouble may be looming for investors. FULL STORY->

Record Second Home Sales Protect Housing Market
The second home market is shaping up as a linchpin for the housing industry, just as housing has become a cornerstone of the national economy. FULL STORY->

All You Need to Do is Multitask
Technology is easy to learn and just as easy to manipulate to your advantage. Put aside your fears and take the first step. FULL STORY->

Ten Popular Vacation Home Features
Vacation home experts hash out the most popular features vacationers seek when they look for vacation home accommodations -- information investors can use to boost their bottom line. FULL STORY->

Heating Up the Night: Outdoor Fires
The nights are still a tad chilly, but the weather in your neck of the woods might just be OK for lounging outside in the privacy of your own backyard in the early spring evenings -- you might want to consider heating your deck or patio to take advantage. FULL STORY->

Flagler County Leads in Growth
Flagler, the Florida county between Daytona Beach and Jacksonville, was the fastest growing county in the country for the second year in a row. Lew Sichelman has the latest Census Bureau run down. FULL STORY->

Ask the HOA Expert
How should a board really define "single family residence"? Should signs be allowed on an HOA property? Richard Thompson answers these questions and more in this week's column. FULL STORY->

Quiz Your Credit Knowledge, Stability
Home prices are flattening. Interest rates are rising. New mortgages are emerging. Underwriting is changing. It's time to hit the books on home ownership financials. FULL STORY->

Ontario Law Reduces Brokerage Ownership Requirements
Changes to Ontario's real estate law extend ownership of brokerages outside the province's real estate community. PJ Wade takes a closer look at this new industry twist. FULL STORY->

Google Challenges Referral Sites
Google, the mightiest search engine of them all, has now launched a real estate service. Columnist Peter G. Miller explains why heads are turning. FULL STORY->

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